Editing The Night Before Cave Christmas

{{SMW TV episode infobox
|image=[[File:TheNightBeforeCaveChristmas.jpg|200px]]
|production=411
|airdate=October 12, 1991 (English) <br> October 30, 1992 (French)
|writer=Martha Moran<br>[[Phil Harnage]]
|song="[[List of Super Mario World (television series) songs#Rockin' With the Sleigh Bells|Rockin' With the Sleigh Bells]]"
|captain_n="A Tale Of Two Dogs"
|before=[[Ghosts 'R' Us|<<]]
|after=[[King Scoopa Koopa|>>]]
}}
"'''The Night Before Cave Christmas'''" is the fifth episode of the ''[[Super Mario World (television series)|Super Mario World]]'' animated series. The title for this episode is based on the title of the poem ''{{wp|A Visit from St. Nicholas|The Night Before Christmas}}''.

==Plot synopsis==
While at a barbecue, [[Mario]], [[Luigi]], and [[Princess Peach|Princess Toadstool]] can only watch in dismay while [[Yoshi]] and [[Oogtar]] fight over a "barbecue mammoth rib". Mario attempts to stop the fighting, only to get some barbecue sauce spattered on his face when Yoshi and Oogtar accidentally tear the rib in half.

After wiping the sauce from his face, Mario claims that all Oogtar ever does is squabble with others; after saying this, Mario notices that it isn't just Oogtar, all the cave-people have been acting grumpy recently. Watching the cave-people fight makes Mario think of how everyone acts nice to one another around the holidays. After dodging some corn thrown by Oogtar, Luigi replies that Mario means Christmas, which is too odd because it is the middle of August and not Christmas.

[[File:SMWTV Cave Christmas.jpg|thumb|left|Mario, about to explain Christmas to Oogtar and Yoshi.]]
Despite this detail, Mario decides to celebrate Christmas with the cavepeople, thinking it will cheer them up (saying that since they are in Dinosaur World, they can have Christmas any time they want, even though the cave people do not know that Christmas doesn't come in the middle of August). Soon after stating this, a confused Yoshi asks what Christmas is. Mario proceeds to explain what Christmas is to Yoshi and Oogtar, with Oogtar taking particular interest in [[Santa Claus]] and the presents he delivers.

After his explanation about what Christmas is, Mario begins to decorate all of [[Dome City]] with the curious and excited cave-people watching him. After hearing about Mario's plans for a "Cave Christmas", [[Bowser|King Koopa]] pops out of his hiding place in a garbage can and begins to wonder why Mario would be celebrating Christmas in the hottest day of the year.

With "Cave Christmas Day" coming up, Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, [[Princess Peach|Princess Toadstool]], Oogtar, and [[Cave People|Ooga]] begin to cut down several Christmas trees, while King Koopa and [[Roy Koopa#DIC Cartoons|Bully Koopa]] spy on them.

After cutting down the Christmas trees, Princess Toadstool and Yoshi begin to decorate them with candy canes, while King Koopa and Bully look on. After saying he has a plan forming, King Koopa and Bully are accidentally picked up by a garbage-collecting dinosaur and thrown out with the rest of the trash.
[[File:Present Making.jpg|thumb|Mario, Luigi, and Toadstool making presents.]]
With Christmas coming, Mario, Luigi, and Princess Toadstool begin to make presents for the cave-people's children, while Oogtar looks on with greedy eyes. After yelling "Oogtar want" aloud, Oogtar is found by Luigi, who throws him out of the toy workshop before he can grab anything. As Princess Toadstool begins to pack the toys for delivery, King Koopa looks on, with the plan of stealing all the toys for "Koopa Christmas Morning".

As Luigi and Mario begin packing up for the big toy delivery, Oogtar sneaks into the workshop, wanting to take all the best toys for himself. As Oogtar is rummaging through Mario's toy sack, he is surprised when King Koopa approaches. Hiding in the toy sack, Oogtar is taken away by King Koopa, who steals the sack of toys meant for the cave-children.

While trying on a Santa Claus outfit, Mario notices that all the toys have been stolen. Rushing into the workshop, an angered Mario realizes it had to have been King Koopa who stole the toys. A fuming Mario vows to reclaim the toys and sets off for [[Bowser's Castle|Neon Castle]].

Mario, with the help of Yoshi, who has a pair of Magic Wings on, sets off to Neon Castle. With Mario fast approaching, King Koopa begins praising himself on having committed such a bad deed. While inspecting the toys he stole, King Koopa discovers Oogtar in the bag. Demanding to know what Oogtar is doing there, a fight breaks out between King Koopa and Oogtar over who gets the presents. Tearing open a present meant for Bully, Oogtar discovers that the present is a [[Bob-omb]], which explodes. King Koopa gets very angry, but Oogtar tries to run away from the enraged Koopa king, only to be captured.

[[File:SMWTV Oogtar In A Pit.jpg|thumb|left|King Koopa, about to abandon Oogtar.]]
Deciding to get rid of Oogtar, King Koopa begins to lower a tied-up Oogtar into a pit with a hungry orange ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' in it. In true villain fashion, King Koopa leaves Oogtar alone, with a candle to burn through the rope suspending him above the ''Tyrannosaurus''{{'}} pit. Koopa says to Oogtar to have a merry Cave Christmas. He then concludes that the name "Oogtar" said backwards is "Ratgoo", and leaves Oogtar alone.

Landing in front of Neon Castle, Mario and Yoshi hear Oogtar's cries for help, but they break through the wrong window, and are besieged by [[Mechakoopa|Mechkoopa]]s, [[Thwomp]]s, [[Dry Bones]], and [[Chargin' Chuck|Koopa Football Player]]s. While running from all these enemies, Mario finds a [[Cape Feather|feather]] and uses it to become [[Cape Mario]]. With his power of flight, Mario picks up Yoshi and flies through a nearby [[Warp Pipe|Warp Tube]].

Exiting this Warp Pipe, Mario and Yoshi arrive in the room Oogtar is being held captive in. Right before Oogtar is fed to a T-Rex, Mario flies in and saves him. Bringing Oogtar to safety, Mario, who Oogtar believes to be Santa Claus, manages to get him to confess to trying to steal all the presents.

Loading all the presents in his sleigh, Mario, Oogtar, and Yoshi escape King Koopa's Castle, just as the Koopa family (some creatures and Bully Koopa) find all the presents King Koopa stole missing. Arriving at [[Dome City]], Mario drops Oogtar, who has had an epiphany, off at his dome-house. As Oogtar falls asleep, Mario drops off what appears to be a miniature television on his bedside table. Mario then leaves to deliver presents to the rest of Dome City.

Later in the morning, while Mario is asleep in the [[Dome Castle]], Oogtar sneaks in and, believing Santa had forgotten to give a present to Mario, drops-off a present for him.

==Cast==
*[[Walker Boone]] &mdash; [[Mario]]
*[[John Stocker]] &mdash; [[Oogtar]] the cave boy, caveman #3, dinosaur, Ghost
*[[Harvey Atkin]] &mdash; [[Bowser|King Bowser Koopa]]
*[[Andrew Sabiston]] &mdash; [[Yoshi]]
*[[Tony Rosato]] &mdash; [[Luigi]]
*[[Tracey Moore]] &mdash; [[Princess Peach|Princess Toadstool]]
*[[Dan Hennessey]] &mdash; [[Roy Koopa|Bully Koopa]], Caveman #1, Caveman #2, Singer 2
*[[Gordon Masten]] &mdash; Singer #1, Caveman #4
*[[Paulina Gillis]] &mdash; Female Singer, Cave Lady #1, Cave Lady #2, Cave Girl

==Animation and continuity errors==
[[File:SMWTV Too Many Eyebrows.jpg|thumb|Oogtar with four eyebrows]]
*When [[Mario]] shakes the sauce off him, the emblem on his [[Mario Cap|cap]] is black instead of red.
*When Mario says, ''"It's a day where everyone's nice to each other!"'', the "M" on his cap is missing.
*When [[Yoshi]] says, ''"Ooh, eat treats?"'', [[Oogtar]] has four eyebrows. 
*When Mario says, ''"...who've been good!"'', his mouth does not move.
*When [[Bowser|King Koopa]] says, ''"Cave Christmas? What's that pipe-squeezer up to now? It's the hottest day of the year!"'', his color changes from light-green to dark-green.
*In the second shot of Mario and a cave person cutting down a tree, the colors of the "M" on Mario's cap are inverted, and as the screen moves to [[Princess Peach|Princess Toadstool]], Yoshi and Oogtar, two [[Cave People|cave kids]] move without moving their legs.
*When Oogtar swings on a vine, the rim of King Kooopa's shell is the same color as his body.
*When Yoshi licks a candy cane, it overlaps on Princess Toadstool, and shortly after, one of his spikes turns the same color as his body.
*When King Koopa says, ''"Don't worry, Bully! I have a plan!"'', his mouth is the same color as his skin.
*When King Koopa and [[Roy Koopa|Bully]] get thrown into some trash, the [[Rex]] carrying it freezes.
**In the same scene, King Koopa's claws on his hands are the same color as the spikes on his shackles.
*When the workshop is first seen, the jack-in-the-boxes from left to right are purple, red, and yellow, but in the next shot, the colors are revresed.
*When [[Luigi]] is operating the present Oogtar wants, the white area on his cap is black and the "L" is white.
*When Oogtar looks at his present, the lid on the jack-in-the-box he comes out of appears out of nowhere.
*When Luigi walks over to the jack-in-the-boxes, the one Oogtar is hiding in is green, but when he operates that one, it turns yellow.
**In the same scene, the lid on it disappears.
*When King Koopa says that he will steal the presents, part of the rim of his shell turns the same color as his body.
*When [[Princess Peach|Princess Toadstool]] puts the toys in the sack, she is seen putting them beside it instead of in it.
*When a cave person is walking with a dinosaur, it overlaps on the sleigh.
*When Mario says that King Koopa stealing the presents is low even for a [[Koopa (species)|Koopa]], Princess Toadstool can be seen to be smiling.
*When Oogtar opens the second present and when he points to it, he is briefly layered over it.
*When Yoshi pushes Mario into [[Bowser's Castle|Neon Castle]], when Yoshi says, ''"...on diet!"'', his mouth does not move.
*In one scene, the rims on the [[Chargin' Chuck|Koopa Football Players]]' helmets are the same color as their mouth guards.
*When Mario saves Oogtar and his cape power wears off, the cape remains for a short while.
*When Mario says that Oogtar has some explaining to do, the stripes on his gloves are the same color as his shirt.
*When Mario puts the toys into his sleigh, he briefly appears frozen.
*When Mario tells Yoshi to hold on as he gets him some [[Wings]], the sleigh can be seen overlapping on the bridge, as well as when he is about to fly off.
*When Oogtar says that he does not deserve a present, Mario's overalls are purple instead of red.
*When Mario says this is unlike how Oogtar usually is, his left hand is layered underneath his sheet.

==Profiles==
*'''[[Yoshi the Superstar]]''' DVD: ''[[Mario]] decides to bring Christmas to the [[Cave People]]. [[Luigi]] and [[Princess Peach|Princess Toadstool]] make toys and wrap gifts. Mario dresses up as [[Santa Claus]], and [[Yoshi]] pulls the "cave sleigh." But when [[Bowser|King Koopa]], "Grinch"-like, steals the toybag with [[Oogtar]] inside, Mario must save Cave Christmas.''

==Names in other languages==
{{foreign names
|SpaE=La cueva de navidad
|SpaEM=Christmas cave
|Ger=Weihnachten im Sommer
|GerM=Christmas in Summer
|Ita=La vigilia del natale preistorico
|ItaM=On the eve of prehistoric Christmas
|Fre=L'esprit de Noël
|FreM=The spirit of Christmas
|Por=A Véspera do Natal das Cavernas
|PorM=The Eve of the Cave Christmas
|Rom=Noaptea dinaintea Crăciunului<ref>May 20, 2015. [http://ok.ru/videoembed/26887195268 "The Night Before Cave Christmas" dubbed in Romanian by KidsCo]. ''Odnoklassniki (OK.ru).'' Retrieved January 4, 2016.</ref>
|RomM=The night before Christmas
}}

==Trivia==
*"The Night Before Cave Christmas" was the only episode of the ''[[Super Mario World (television series)|Super Mario World]]'' series to be released on a VHS tape in the United States. "The Night Before Cave Christmas" came packaged with the ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]]'' episode "[[Koopa Klaus]]" in the ''[[Super Mario Bros. Super Christmas Adventures!]]'' VHS tape.
**In Australia, this appears as the sixth episode instead of the fifth.
*Despite this episode being produced after "[[Born to Ride]]" (Episode 406), this episode (411) uses Yoshi's older design.

==References==
<references/>

{{SMW TV}}
[[Category:Super Mario World episodes]]
[[it:La vigilia del Natale preistorico]]